Automatic tank-closing device for oil-burning locomotives.



I. H. MILLER. AUTOMATIC TANK CLOSING DEVICE FOR OIL BURNING LOCOMOTIVES.

- IN I/E III TOR e/mw hWJ/W A TTORIIIEYS Patented July 17, 1917 3SHEETS-SHEET I APPLICATION FILED JULY 1, 1916.

WITNESSES I. H. IVIILLER. AUTOMATIC TANK CLOSING DEVICE FOR OIL BURNINGLOCOMOTIVES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7, I9I6.

' Pafiwnted July 17, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

llVI/EIVTOR I. H. MILLER.

AUTOMATIC TANK CLOSING DEVICE FOR OIL BURNING LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7, 1916.

I Patented July 17, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES N mpg he mum/1 6 Mamas fiMJ/a/ ATTORNEYS I tlt JAMES HAMILTONMILLER, OF ARKANSAS CITY, KANSAS.

AUTOMATIC TANK-CLOSING DEVICE FOR OIL-BURNING LOCOMOTIVES.

messes.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 1917.

Application filed July 7, 1916. Serial No. 108,039.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Arkansas City, in the county of Cowley and Stateof-Kansas, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Tank-ClosingDevice for Oil-BurningLocomotives, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description. 4

y invention relates to a means for controlling the oil outlet leadingfrom the tender to the fire box of alocomotive.

object of my invention is to provide means whereby to automaticallyclose the oil outlet in the tender by the throwing of the engineersvalve ofthe brake system to emergency position which is done when awreck is imminen Other objects of its advantages, tion proceeds.

eference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification in which similar reference characters indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side tion showing parts of a locomotive and tenderequipped with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the invention and showing aportion L of the tender;

, Fig. 3 is a view slight modification in the invention, as well as willappear as the descripgiven to illustrate a matically effect the closureof the oil outlet in thetank, said view at the left showing a portion ofthe'tank while the engineers valve is shown diagrammatlcally in planview;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view on aas usual, with an anenlarged scale of the attachment to the engineers valve in Fig. 3.

The oil box of the tender is provided,

outlet 11, which suitable pipe connection 12 with the fire box 13 ofa'locomotive 14.

The valve stem 15 is disposed vertically in the tender and operated in afitting 16 in the top 17 of the tender, the upper end of the stem beingprovided with a handle 18. At the lower end, the valve stem extendsthrough a guide or cage 19 and is rovided. with a valve 20, therebeing a001 spring a 21 embracingthe valve stem and normally the the member .28so that when the piston rod I p '2 elevation partly in sec-' the mannerof taking the air from the engineers valve to auto- :35 for d employedin the form 'shown has ato be b beneath the holes 39, there being simiAn air pipe leads from the cylinder 22 in front of the piston 23 to theengineers valve, designated generally by the numeral 26, theconstruction and operation of which is well known and need not bedescribed. The connection between the pipe 25 and the engineers valve 26is such that when the valve is thrown by its handle 26 to the emergencyposition, air will pass through said pipe to the cylinder 22 and therebactuate the-piston 23. Ihe piston rod 2 extends from the piston 23, andoutside of the cylinder 22, said piston rod is provided with a lateralmember 28 which. receives a pin 29, said pin passing through a hole 30in the member 28 and through a pinhole 31 in the valve stem 15. ;Thehead 29 of pin 29 lies against the forward side of moves forwardly, itwill engage the said head 29" and withdraw the pin 29 from thepin-hole31 in the valve stem 15, thereby permitting the spring 21 toclose thevalve- 20 to its seat, thus of oil in the box 10. I provide avent which also, is controlled by the movement of the piston, asfollows: In the top 17 is a vertically disposedfitting cutting off theoutflow 32, the lower end 33 of which extends into the tank 10, and isformed with or'holes 34.

a vent-hole A tube 35 is slidable in the fitting 32 and epressing thesame. The bore of the tube 35 is continued through the handle 35 sothatthe said tube communicates with the atmosphere. Near the lower end, thetube 35 has a vent-hole or holes 36, adapted roughtinto register withthe venthole or holes 34. Within the lower end 33 of the fitting 32 is aspring 37 within an inverted cup-shaped housing 38, disposed lower endof the tube 35. In the fitting 32 are registering transverse pinlarregistering pinholes 40 .in the tube-35. I a

When the tube 35 is depressed against the pressure ofthe spring 37 tobring the ventprovided with a suitable handle holes, 34, 36,

piston rod.

. g its housing 38 rod 27 from turning,

the forward movement of the piston rod 27 'to withdraw the pin 29 forreleasing the withdraw the pin valve stem 15,- will also 41, therebypermitting the spring 37 to raise andthe tube 35 to take the vent-holes36 ofsaid tube out of register 'with the vent-holes 34, thereby cuttingoff the possibility of. oil escaping through said vent-holes in case thetender turns over and breakage of the fitting 32and stem occurs. Inorder to prevent the piston 23 and and to brace the said piston rod, abar 22 is secured to the cylin:

der head and has guided engagement the member 28 of the piston rod.guided engagement is effected in the present instancev by producing alongitudinal slot 22 inthe bar 22 through which slot the member 28extends whereby to brace the with piston rod against bending strains andprevent it from turning on its axis.

In order that the engineer, if he desires, may close the valve20 withoutaffecting the described vent, 'I provide a chain or like flexibleelement 43 extending from the engineers cab to a connection with the pin29, the connection being through the medium of an eye 29 on the head 29of said pin.

v the pipe 25 leads In the usual construction of oil-carryingtendersalso, there is provision made for receiving a measuring rod, there beingprovlded for the purpose, a tube in the top of the tender in which themeasuring rod is usually permitted to remain. In order that no oil mayescape at this point, I provide a plug 44 closing a 'through which themeasuring rodmay be tubular member 45 inserted. The measuring rod may behung on any suitable hook, (not shown), in the englne cab, and the plug44 removed whenever said rod is required to be used.

In Fig. l, the pipe 25 directly taps the In the form shown in bracket.46 or other suitable means, to the engineers valve, here indicated bythe character 26 the character 26 indicating the handle. The pipe 25corresponding with der 45. To direct air from the main reser- .v'oir Ato the cylinder 45, the usual pipe a leading from the said reservoir tothe engineers valve has a branch 47 communicating as at 48 with the pipe(1 and leading 'at its other end to the side of the cylinder 45. Thepipe 47 supplying air to the cylinder 45 said cylinder,

. 56 therethrough leadin The- of which valve is formed from one end ofthe cylinis always in free communication with the but communicationbetween the cylinder and pipe 25 occurs only when the engineers valve isin the emergency position.

For commanding the pipe 25, a piston 49 is provided in the cylinder 45,the stem or rod 50 of which is provided with a valve 51 at the endthereof closing a port 52 leading from the cylinder to the pipe 25*. Aspring 53 coiled about the stem 50 abuts at one end against a pin 54 onsaid stem and at the other end against a partition 55, in said cylinder.The partition has air ports to the one side of the piston 49 and saipiston has an air port 57 therethrough of predetermined limited capacitythrough. which air may pass when the device is not in operation, wherebyto equalize the pressure at both sides of the piston. An outlet port 58is formed in the head 45 of the cylinder in front of the piston 49, andlateral ports 59 lead from the portv 58 to the. atmosphere. A valve 60controls the port 58, the stem 61 with a head 62 adapted .to be engagedby.the handle 26 of the engineers valve when said handle 1s thrownto theemergency position, indicated in dotted lines Fig. 3, whereby to unseatthe valve 60 and permit the escape of air from in front of the pistonthrough the formed with a stud 64 which is adapted to move in alongitudinal groove 65 in the boss or boxing 45". Communicatlng withsaid groove 1s a depression or recess 66 to receive the stud 64 underthe spring action of the arm 63 when the valve 60 is unseated by thehandle 26 of the engineers valve. A knob or other finger-hold 67 isprovlded on the arm 63 to disengage the stud 64 from the recess 66'.coiled about the valve stem 61 in a hous ng 69 formed in the boxing45",said spring abutting at one end against a pin 70 on the stem 61tonormally seat the valve 60.

When the handle 26 of the engineers valve contacts with the head 62 andunseats the valve 60 the stud 64 will engage in the recess 66 andmaintain the valve open. Air may freely escape from in front of thepiston 49, the restricted port 57 servmg to maintain excess of pressureon the back of the piston 49 so that the said piston will be movedoutwardly and unseat the valve 60, thereby permitting air to pass to thepipe 25 and to the cylinder 22 for moving the iston 23 as previouslydescribed.

It is to be understood that the tank devices shown in Fig. 3 are thesame as in Figs. 1 and 2. The construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4,itwill be seen, results in no A compression spring 68 is 5 the head 62in 1,2ee,eee :tt:

modification whatever of the usual construction of the engineers valve,and the bracket 46 may be secured to the exterior of the valve or otheradjacent support to dispose position to be engaged by the handle 26".

Havingthus described "my invention, I

claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

10 In an foil-burning locomotive, an oil container having an outlet, avalve controlling said outlet, a valve-closing means, a cylin-,

der, a piston in said cylinder, a piston rod on said piston extending tothe outside of to Withdraw the same from the valve stem independently ofthe piston rod.

JAMES HAMILTON MILLER.

